How traveling throughout Greece surprised me in unexpected ways.
As an African American traveler, I didn’t know what to expect when traveling throughout Greece for the first time. I’ve wanted to visit Greece since I was a kid, back when I first learned of Greek mythology and the Olympic Games in grade school. By the time I arrived in Greece, I came armed with an itinerary that would take me from Athens to Thessaloniki in Northern Greece and finally to the popular Greek isle of Santorini.
When I first touched down after a 12-hour flight from Virginia, I told myself to keep an open mind. I was still nervous about exploring a country as a solo Black traveler, but as soon as I stepped off the plane, I found comfort in a surprising place: the Antetokounmpo Brothers’ new airport retail store.
Athen’s Surprising Basketball Culture
For those unfamiliar with them, the Antetokounmpo Brothers are professional basketball players for the Milwaukee Bucks, who are of Greek-Nigerian descent. As a basketball fan, I found comfort in not only seeing that airport store but in being welcomed to the country with a celebration of Black excellence. The brothers’ passion for basketball and community made me feel immediately at home.
As it turns out, even beyond its airport, Athens has a huge basketball presence. As a former collegiate athlete myself, I found it intriguing how popular basketball is in Greece. Like the rest of Europe, soccer is Greece’s main sport, but basketball comes in at a close second.
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The Athens basketball scene is a unique one—from basketball stores, courts, and murals, to even a coffee shop serving basketball-themed lattes at Crop Roastery. The city is home to two of the best basketball-themed courts I’ve seen on my travels. If you travel 20 minutes from the city’s center to Sepolia, you will find Giannis Antetokounmpo’s “Greek Freak” hometown basketball court, nestled between apartment buildings. This court has a full mural paying homage to the NBA star player.
The second court is harder to find and more of a secret gem. It is located inside SLAMDUNK on the top floor. These are just a few of the hidden basketball gems I discovered during my visit to Athens. If you are visiting from the United States, you shouldn’t be surprised to see your favorite basketball team represented in Greece. And for other basketball-loving Black travelers, like myself, I recommend taking advantage of the city’s basketball scene by visiting these attractions.
Thessaloniki Is an Underrated “Foodie” City
When most tourists think of Greece, Thessaloniki is not a city that comes to mind. Located in Northern Greece, it’s the second largest city in Greece and a cultural melting pot of Eastern and Western civilizations.
After getting on a plane from Athens, I was the tallest passenger and the only Black person onboard. This made me realize how significant it is for a Black traveler to visit a city like Thessaloniki.
Shortly after landing, I was surprised by the hustle and bustle. There were many shops, unique hotels, cool attractions, and social media-worthy dishes. As a foodie and dessert lover, I was excited to try desserts unique to the city. One of the desserts I found was bougatsa, which is a Greek pastry filled with a sweet or savory filling. Bougatsa is one of the region’s most popular desserts, along with Trigona Panoramatos. I loved how many of Thessaloniki’s popular desserts were customizable.
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Even though I have a huge sweet tooth, I couldn’t come to Thessaloniki without trying a gyro. Here, gyros come with mustard and Greek ketchup instead of the traditional tzatziki sauce.
I didn’t expect Thessaloniki to have such a wonderful selection of mouth-watering foods. I made sure to document as many unique foods as possible. I wanted to showcase Thessaloniki’s cuisine for other Black travelers. By highlighting amazing dishes, I hope to encourage other Black travelers to explore Northern Greece.
Santorini’s Kamari Black Sand Beach Should Get More Recognition
Santorini was the part of Greece I was most looking forward to visiting. After planning my trip, I divided my time between the caldera side and the black sand beach area. It was no surprise that the sunsets on the caldera side were breathtaking, but I was surprised to see a significant number of Black tourists in Santorini.
On my balcony, where I was taking in the sunset, a man tipped his cup to me. He was an African American traveler visiting Santorini from Houston, Texas, along with his wife. We both were happy to see other Black travelers staying on the Greek island.
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Large crowds would form each day at sunset to get that picture-perfect photo and take in the stunning scenery. After admiring the Santorini sunset for days, I was sad to switch locations to the beachside. Kamari Beach may not have the best sunset views, but the sunrise scenery over the clear water and black sand is stunning in its own right. It didn’t take me long to embrace the beautiful black sand.
Kamari Beach wasn’t as busy as the caldera side of Santorini because it’s not as popular–and there wasn’t much of an African American presence on the beachside. But the beachside was equally impressive as the caldera side. It’s a hidden gem for stunning scenery. As beautiful as the caldera sunset looked, I think the mountains and black sand scenery were equally stunning. Although you can’t go wrong with either side of Santorini, Kamari Beach is very impressive.
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There has been much debate about what it’s like for Black bloggers to travel to Greece. For me, the Greek people I met were friendly and welcoming. Northern Greece was much less diverse with Black travelers than Southern Greece, but this came as no surprise, given the popularity of Southern Greece cities and the Greek Islands. Thessaloniki is less known by United States tourists, so a tall African American guy like myself definitely stood out. Regardless, each Greek city I visited impressed me—despite the occasional stares.